Suggested Activities for Planning Students

So, you're studying planning. Do your friends and fellow students know what "planning" is? If not, then the time is right to tell your planning story. Celebrate National Community Planning Month this October by reaching out to non-planners, whether they're your fellow students on campus, members of your community, or businesses in your town. Educate them about the importance of our profession and why you are passionate about this field. And have a little fun while doing it.

This month, celebrate National Community Planning Month by:

Raising awareness: Why does planning matter?
Ask non-planning students about their favorite streets and neighborhoods on and around campus. Tell the planning story of these places and how they relate to students' daily life. For example, show your fellow students the benefits of taking transit to classes. Point out that the picnic areas and other green spaces that students enjoy are the result of hard-fought battles against encroaching development. Raise awareness about how your campus can go green and how these steps towards sustainability will affect your surrounding ecosystems. There are many tales to tell.

Contact your local jurisdiction about plans that are in the works, or those published, and see if they can organize an exhibition of their current programs on your campus. They may be thrilled to have this opportunity to reach out to students and the academic world.

Putting your college on the map
Show off your mapping skills. Use GIS and other resources to blend your class projects into a public website. Then proudly share it with your parents, your friends, and other APA members. See examples from the Green Map System.

Organizing a group on campus
Organize a community service group in your planning school, and come up with local projects or events that will help your community. Ask your professors and see if you can blend this into your class projects. Ask local planners and businesses for assistance — you may be surprised by how much help you can get.

Organizing a tour
Show parents and your colleagues in other disciplines the power and importance of planning on and around campus or in your own neighborhood. Describe how planning made these places great and how future planning efforts can have a positive impact on distressed neighborhoods around your campus. Help people appreciate what you are studying in interesting, interactive, and instructive ways.

Organize a bus tour for students and others. Think outside of the campus. Ask people: "Which part of town you have never been to but would like to visit?" You'll be surprised at how many good places in your town people don't know about. Learn from two planning students from Cleveland about what they did and how they did it.

Organizing a volunteer event
Organize a "Box City" event at a local school or youth club. This wonderful hands-on tool will empower kids to learn about issues that relate to their built environment and show how planning can achieve long-term visions and create livable spaces.

The Center for Understanding the Built Environment (CUBE) specializes in this kind of community-based education. Check out their website for more great ideas.

Spreading the word
Ask your college dean and university president to sponsor a symposium or lecture series about planning efforts that are directly affecting your campus or community. Ask local APA experts to speak at the event.

Nurturing an online community
Do you know APA is on MySpace? Add APA to your MySpace friends and forward its link to your other friends. Let your friends around the world know you belong to this big family of planners.

Creating a campus or community documentary
Yearning to show off your star quality? Use your video camera to capture life on your campus or in your community and show the challenges of growth and change. Then, upload your short documentary onto YouTube. Send us the link of your video and we will post it on APA's MySpace page. (By sending us this video you agree to allow the American Planning Association, and the chapters and divisions of APA, non-exclusive permission to use this video on APA's MySpace page, on APA's website, and in other communication vehicles or materials.) Send it to videos@planning.org. Don't forget to invite other friends to the site.

Getting involved in a local planning project
Attend a meeting of the local planning commission or city council. Encourage fellow students to attend with you to learn about the planning process. Volunteer to help local planning staff on a project, and ask your professor if the work can count towards a class assignment. Remember, planning is practical, and academic training can be tested in real world projects when you are a student. Also, ask your local APA chapter if you can be helpful in planning-related activities.

Organizing a planning career fair
Help encourage future planners by organizing a career fair at your school. Make planning jobs front and center in the career fair organized by your university, your college, or your department. Invite government agencies and planning firms to set up booths. Spread the word around campus, and reach out to fellow students in public policy, architecture, landscape, civil engineering, and other departments. As a side benefit, you may land your dream job in no time. Remember, the three most important tips for job-seekers are: networking, networking, and networking.

Applying for scholarships
American Planning Association scholarships are awarded to students currently enrolled in degree programs in planning or closely related fields. Your leadership in celebrating National Community Planning Month may well be an important resume highlight when you submit your application.

Sharing your success stories with APA
APA encourages planning students to share brief descriptions of activities they are planning for the National Community Planning Month. Seeing what other students are doing around the country can stimulate additional public agencies, organizations, firms, and individuals to get involved.

As soon as your plans take shape, please submit brief information of your activity and e-mail it to ncpm@planning.org.

Resources

APA's MySpace page
Check out the page and add APA to your MySpace friends.

Lights, Camera ... Leadership
The Orton Family Foundation sponsored the Planning Advisory Service Report entitled Lights, Camera, Community Video-Engaging Citizens in Creating a Community Documentary and Vision. The PAS report shows how students can develop leadership and academic skills by making and premiering a video on planning or other issues of importance to their community. Planners interested in partnering with colleges during National Community Planning Month may wish to bring this curriculum to the attention of media, technology, arts, and other teachers.

Center for Understanding the Built Environment
CUBE, the Center for Understanding the Built Environment, specializes in community-based education bringing together educators, kids, and community partners to effect change. Using CUBE's award-winning "Walk Around the Block" and "Box City" resources, people, business partners, and most importantly, you, can identify and carry out appropriate community outreach projects.

Green Map System
Established in 1995 as a nonprofit organization, the Green Map System (GMS) is a locally adaptable, globally shared framework for environmental mapmaking. It invites design teams of all ages and backgrounds to illuminate the connections between natural and human environments by mapping their local urban or rural community. The GMS network is active worldwide. Every Green Map is the result of a locally driven process, but one that is influenced by other mapmakers' experiences. The GMS website is the gathering point for these stories, as well as the place to find out who is involved and how they are making Green Maps. The site also has a special section devoted to "Youth Mapmakers" with an activity guide for school or after-school use.

Considering a Career in Planning
Planning students can invite APA members into the school to talk with students about career opportunities in planning. This website section contains useful information about the many kinds of work that planners do, the skills they need, options in planning education, scholarships, ethical standards in the profession, and more.

APA Scholarships
American Planning Association scholarships are made to students currently enrolled in degree programs in planning or a closely related field. Awards will be made to students enrolled in an approved Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) college or university.

Photos: 1. Aerial view of Washington, D.C. Image courtesy of Yufeng Guo; 2. Elementary student participating in a Box City project at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). Photo courtesy of Denny Egner. 3. Screen capture of APA's MySpace page.